Title

How Does Temperature Affect Crystal Growth?

Problem Scenario

Broad Question

How does the temperature of the water affect sugar crystal growth?

Specific Question

Does water temperature affect sugar crystal growth?

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that the hot water crystals will have more mass than the cold water crystals.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable: Temperature of the water

Dependent Variable: Mass of crystal

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Size of container
How long before weighing
Amount of sugar

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

---

---

---

---

General Plan

The general plan is to record observations for sugar crystals in two different temperatures every 24 hours, while they grow. Then record the end mass in grams.

Potential Problems And Solutions

Q: How will I transport my project to school to be weighed?
A: I will carefully put all six jars full of the liquid in a box and also put plastic wrap over the top of the jars to protect from spilling. Then my parent will drive me to school and I will deliver the jars to the science class.
Q: How will I measure the crystals? Mass or volume?
A: I prefer using mass over volume because mass is easier to measure and easier for people who will want to redo this experiment in the future, to measure and graph as well.
Q: What if the original four jars do not grow crystals?
A: At the beginning of the experiment try and safe your sugar water (both the cold and hot sugar water together) so if the crystals do not grow than you can just boil and add a cup or two of sugar to the original sugar water. After boiling the
original water pour about four cups of the "new" sugar water into a jar and insert the string and metal ring cap to the top just like the original four.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

Some of safety concerns include burns from the boiling sugar water. Burns from the boiling sugar water is extremely dangerous. Burns from this sugar water will result in hospitalization (Being put in a hospital). This is because the water is boiling and the sugar dissolved with in the solution will stick to skin causing a painful burn that cannot be washed off. Plus if you touch the burner while it's hot will also result in an awful burn as well. Burns are the main concern, but small health concern can happen if the sugar crystals are eat and they aren't sanitary.

Experimental Design

Number Of Subjects In Each trial:

Two per temperature (4 in all)

When data will be collected

April 25th, 2012

Number of Observations:

20 by the end of experiment

Where will data be collected?:

At My house

Resources and Budget Table

Data Table

Time Line

---

---

---

---

Background Research

Sugar crystals refer to highly soluble solid sucrose molecules. Sugar comes from sugar and sugar crystals can be formed by crystallizing sugarcane juice. Crystallization of sugar was first done in south-east Asia around 30 A.D. and the knowledge quickly spread across Asia then to Europe and the rest of the world. Sugar juice is obtained from tall bamboo like plants with a high content of sucrose, called sugarcane. Sugarcane is grown in many regions such as tropical regions. Sugar can be obtained from sugar beets that are grown in Brazil. These plants both have a high amount of sucrose molecules.
Sugar crystals have numerous like meal ingredients or decoration. Sugar crystals are natural sweeteners and by itself has a sweet flavor. Sugar crystals are used in sweet foods and meals like pastries and a lot of sugary drinks like soda or energy drinks. In the west sugar was uses as a medicine. In the 18th century it was discovered that sugar made a "sweet treat".
There are many references to rock candy in literature.

References

"Sugar Crystals." Facts about the. Web. 05 Apr. 2012. <http://www.sugarcrystals.net/facts-about-the-sugar-crystals/>.

Detailed Procedure

1. Prepare Materials needed for the experiment. Wash jars/containers and label them with the temperature that will be used in the jars/containers during the experiment. Cut strings to a little more (in length) of the jars/containers cut one string for each jar/container.

2. Boil 8 cups of water (4 cups of boiling water in each jar/containers). Put 8 cups in the refrigerator or leave it alone (4 cups of refrigerated water in each jar/containers) 2 hours prior to boiling the water.

3. Dissolve 9 cups of sugar in the boiling 3 cups of water. Dissolve 9 cups of sugar in the chilled 3 cups of water

4. Tie one end of the string to the stick or Popsicle stick used to hold the string up to some what and put the other end of the string in the water but not touching the bottom of the jar/container. Save the water from both temperatures (for #7.).

5. Leave the jars/containers and record observations for each jar every day for one to two weeks in the data table.

6. After one to two weeks drain water or drain when the crystals will. Weigh each crystal string and average the data/weigh together in their separate temperate unit. Graph the average data together.

(7. if the sugar crystals for the hot or cold do not grow; add both of the waters together and boil and add 1-2 cups of sugar.)

Diagram

Photo List

---

---

---

---

---

Results

The Hot sugar crystals grew more then the Cold water crystals. The Hypothesis was correct. But still the crystals that were created and grew fo only one to two weeks.

All Raw Data

Graphs

Photos

---

---

---

---

---

Data Analysis

The data that was collected shows that the "New" water crystals grew more then any of the crystals that were grown. The "Hot" and "Cold" water crystals grew some mass but not as much as the "New" water crystals. the "Cold" water crystals grew the least amount of crystal mass. the "Hot" crystals grew some mass.

Conclusion

The "New" water crystals grew more crystal mass than all of the other temperature crystals. The "Hot" water crystals grew some crystals but didn't have as much mass as "New" water crystals. The "Cold" water crystals grew the least amount of crystals mass.

---

---

---

---

---

Discussion

This data is interesting because both “A” and “B” jars of all of these temperatures are close to each other data wise; expect the “Hot” water crystals. The “Hot” water crystals had one jar with half the mass of the other crystal jar. The relationship between the dependent and the independent variables is strong because the dependent variable depends on the independent variable. This experiment did answer the question. This experiment did show that the hypothesis was correct. “Hot” water crystals grew more mass over a certain time, than the “cold” water crystals. There was one problem during this experiment. The original crystals didn’t grow faster enough so the extra saturated solution of both the “Hot” and the “Cold” water crystals was added together and also added 1-2 cups of sugar to the solution. Then the solution was separated into two jars (about 4 cups of solution each) with hemp string hanging down into the solution and was left to grow crystals. This experiment could help people who make candy for a living. The data can help them with the best possible way to grow the popular sugar crystals. This project will help with supply and demand and it will help candy makers. This experiment could be improved by taking weight measurement everyday instead of at the end of the experiment. This project benefits science because growing crystals has to do with particles attaching themselves to other particles to form crystals.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

The benefit of this project to society is that for future candy makers will know the best ways to make sugar or rock candy. So the more rock candy the children and or adults will want, the more the candy makers will supply more candy. This project will help supply and demand.

Abstract